We examined the distances and speed of a number of sled travelers
in the Arctic, including Peary himself on his earlier expeditions, and
found that his 1909 figures are entirely credible. Dogs and sleds with
far less skillful drivers than Matthew Henson and Peary's Eskimos
have often maintained or exceeded these claimed speeds over much
longer distances. For example, Gunnar Isachsen, captain of the
Fram under the Norwegian explorer Otto Sverdrup-who concedes
the superiority of the Smith Sound Eskimos and their dogs, which he
did not have-wrote in the GeographicalReview in January 1929:
"On our sledging trips we were not content with marches under 15
miles. We often made 20 to 30 miles, and marches of over 30 miles
even made marches of over 70
miles. If we could make such long
marches over ice which may be
supposed to have been about the
same kind as the ice on the most
difficult part of Peary's journey,
then even longer ones may be made
on better ice such as that which
Peary met on his journey to the
Pole in 1909 to the north of the
'Big Lead.' It is my opinion that
marches of the length of Peary's on
his North Pole expedition of 1909
are possible not only for parts of his
trip but for the entire journey."
In addition to Steger, many
other explorers with sledging
experience have found Peary's
speeds credible. Two experienced
sledgers, Lord Shackleton (explor-
io"
er Sir Ernest Shackleton's son)
-
.
and geologist-glaciologist Geof-
oF
frey Hattersley-Smith, who note
;
that they traveled extensively by
dog team in north Greenland and
Ellesmere Island in the 1930s,HORIZON
'50s, and '60s, responded to the
recent controversy with a letter to
the Times of London.
I quote from the letter: "It was
clear from our conversations with
s
the Greenlander Odaq [Ootah],
the last survivor of the polar party,
that Peary found very good travel
conditions on the last stretch to the
12:o
North Pole. We have ourselves
travelled up to 70 statute miles
'between sleeps,' admittedly on very good surfaces, so Peary's
distances, allowing for deviations of route, were by no means
extraordinary."
Speed in sledging is determined by a number of variables-the
ability and determination of drivers, the strength of dogs, the config
uration and weight of sledges, and, of course, ice conditions. Peary's
Using his artificial horizon,
Peary looked through an
eyepiece at a sun image and
its reflection. Ten to fifteen
minutes of observation
would show the sun rising
to its zenith, apparent
noon, when it lay due
south. At local noon in
clear weather Peary's
shadow pointed due north.
In cloudy weather, he could
find due north by his cor
rected compass reading.
ROBERTE. PEARYCOLLECTION(TOP);
DIAGRAMBY RICHARDSCHLECHT
New Evidence Places Peary at the Pole